1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of photography and particularly to a film cassette containing roll film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In conventional 35 mm film manufacturers' cassettes, such as manufactured by Eastman Kodak Co. and Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., the filmstrip is wound on a flanged spool which is rotatably supported within a cylindrical shell. A leading end section of the filmstrip approximately 21/3 inches long, commonly referred to as a "film leader", protrudes from as light-trapped slit or mouth of the cassette shell. One end of the spool has a short axial extension which projects from the shell, enabling the spool to be turned by hand. If the spool is initially rotated in an unwinding direction, the film roll inside the shell will tend to expand radially since the inner end of the filmstrip is attached to the spool, and the fogged leader section protruding from the slit will remain stationary. The film roll can expand radially until a non-slipping relation is established between its outermost convolution and the inner curved wall of the shell. Once this non-slipping relation exists, there is a binding effect between the film roll and the shell which prevents further rotation of the spool in the unwinding direction. Thus, rotation of the spool in the unwinding direction cannot serve to advance the filmstrip out of the shell, and it is necessary to engage the protruding leader section to draw the filmstrip out of the shell. However, in the event the leader section is back wound into the shell, it cannot readily be retrieved.
A 35 mm film cassette has been proposed which, unlike conventional film cassettes, includes a film leader that normally does not extend outside the cassette shell. The leader, instead, is located entirely within the cassette shell. Specifically, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,943, granted Jan. 3, 1984, there is disclosed a film cassette wherein the outermost convolution of the film roll wound on the film spool is radially constrained by respective circumferential lips of two axially spaced flanges of the spool to prevent the outermost convolution from contacting an inner wall of the cassette shell. The trailing end of the filmstrip is secured to the film spool, and the leading end of the filmstrip is reduced in width to allow it to protrude from between the circumferential lips and rest against the shell wall. During initial unwinding rotation of the film spool, the leading end of the filmstrip is advanced to and through a film passageway opening in order to exit the cassette shell. The opening has a width which is slightly less than the width of the filmstrip, thus resulting in the filmstrip being transversely bowed as it is uncoiled from the film spool, and thereby facilitating movement of the film edges under the circumferential lips of the respective flanges. However, transverse bowing of the filmstrip to move its edges under the circumferential lips results in increased friction between the filmstrip and the cassette structure which will impede advance of the filmstrip from the cassette shell and may damage the filmstrip.
3. The Cross-Referenced Application
Like the type of film cassette disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,923, the cross-referenced application discloses a film cassette that contains a non-protruding film leader which is automatically advanced to the outside of the cassette shell in response to initial rotation of the film spool in the unwinding direction.
Specifically, there is disclosed a film cassette wherein a convoluted film roll is wound on a spool between a pair of coaxially spaced, independently rotatable flanges. The two flanges have respective circumferential annular lips which prevent the outermost convolution of the film roll from clock-springing into contact with the cassette shell. When the spool is initially rotated, the flanges may remain substantially stationary and the film roll, since its inner end is secured to the spool, tends to expand radially to ensure a non-slipping relation between the outermost convolution and the annular lips. Once the non-slipping relation exists, rotation of the spool will rotate the flanges. This allows stationary internal spreaders to deflect relatively small successive portions of the annular lips to an axial dimension exceeding the film width, in turn allowing corresponding sections of the outermost convolution to exit the radial confinement of the lips without damaging the filmstrip, and to advance to the outside of the cassette shell.